A Turtle's Advent Calendar
by hercules1100
Summary: A series of one shots based on themes taken from a 'TMNT Advent Calendar Challenge' on tumblr. I completely failed at doing this within the deadlines, but I'm still going to continue with it. This takes place in Nick's 2012 universe. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Day 1 - Snowing

Christmas was always so beautiful in New York. It brought a sense of pure tranquillity to the air, something that wasn't common in the slightest in this city. The usual din of the streets was reduced to nothing more than the soft crunching of snow, and the perpetual glare of lights died down to a faint glow. It was truly a peaceful time of year.

...Kind of.

"Come on, Raph!" Mikey cried out, half gleefully, half pleadingly, as he attempted to squirm away from his brother's single-handed iron arm-lock, "It was just a bit of snow!"

"I'll give you a bit of snow!" the older brother seethed, scooping up a particularly brown pile of the stuff with his free hand, before smashing it full force into his younger brother's face, grinning at the high-pitched squeal that sounded a second later. The squeal reverberated over the entire length of the park, and Leo sighed in disdain as it reached his ears for the fifth time. April stood not far from him, grinning at his reaction to his brothers' capering. Donnie was next to her, trying to hide his amusement underneath his woolly purple cap as he heard Mikey scream again.

"Are you sure you guys are actually _ninjas_?"

Leo turned his head to the red-haired girl as she spoke, giving her an incredulous look, "I sometimes wonder myself. I wouldn't be surprised if they've woken up all the Kraang in the city by now," he shifted uncomfortably at the thought, "Are you sure we won't be discovered here?"

"Positive." April replied, her grin growing wider, "What? Don't tell me you _ doubt _the disguises I hooked you up with?"

Leo managed a small smirk, reaching up to his head to feel the soft fabric of the _Space Heroes_ hat April had bought for him. He had to admit, it was pretty cool, not to mention warm. And it covered a good part of his head, meaning he'd be a bit less obvious from afar. His brothers too, sported similar get-ups, all courtesy of April. Donnie wore a purple cap and scarf, both engraved with elements of the 'Periodic Table' (whatever that is), Mikey, suitably, had a ridiculous looking light-up Santa hat and a fluffy beard to go with, and Raph...well he had...a _turtle_ shaped hat, most likely for young children, which April undoubtedly picked on purpose to annoy him. _  
_

Of course, these 'disguises' wouldn't be enough to keep them hidden. They all still had giant shells sticking out of their backs after all, and despite April's best efforts, there was no way of covering them up without them looking odd.

"No! Of course not!" he said after a while, his gaze shifting down to her own 'disguise' of sorts, "Well...that is...unless you _wanted_ to go out looking like a giant lemon."

"Hey!" the girl fumed, kicking a wave of freezing cold snow in Leo's direction which he dodged easily, laughing as he did.

It was true, she _did_ look like a giant lemon, and she knew it. Of course, it was no choice of hers. Her aunt had apparently forced her to wear six layers of a multitude of different types of yellow clothing before she would even let her open her window. _Six-Layers._

_"_Well it's not like there's anything wrong with lemons." Donnie began, noticing April's dismay, "They're useful in a variety of ways, including the production of citric acid and-" Leo groaned as Donnie kicked into gear, knowing his brother had no intention of stopping on his own accord, especially since April was there, though she didn't seem to be paying much attention to him.

He was about to jump on his younger brother to shut him up, when all of a sudden a massive snowball cannonballed its way straight into Donnie's chest, sending him reeling backwards onto the cold ground with a soft squelch of sleet and a yelp of surprise. Mikey materialised not soon after, grinning from ear to ear as he stared down at his victim in pure delight. "Gotcha."

Leo could see that April was trying to suppress the bellowing laughter that was building in her throat, _really_ trying, but the sight of Donnie sprawled out on the snow with a flabbergasted look on his face was too much for her to handle, he too was having a hard time keeping a straight face. She grabbed onto him for support as the laughing fit began. He could see that Donnie was trying to glare at them, but every time he tried it always melted away into a toothy grin, and eventually laughter, which in turn made April laugh even harder.

"I don't know what you two are laughing about!" Mikey chided mischievously as he turned to face them, patting a mound of snow into shape in preparation for his next attack, "No one's safe from Dr Prankenstein!"

And as the cheers of joy and shock that followed slowly began to fade under an avalanche of crystal white snow, one thing could be said.

Christmas in New York was always beautiful.

* * *

**So I thought I'd try out some TMNT (2012) fanfiction for the first time, starting with a TMNT Advent Calendar I happened upon on tumblr. I don't really know how this went, but I do know that it took FAR TOO LONG.** **I'm going to have to cut down the next one so it doesn't take 4 hours ._.**

**FYI, these stories are supposed to be up everyday, but if you haven't guessed by now my ability to write to a deadline is...questionable, so don't expect them to be up on time. **

**Anyway, I do not own the turtles or anything related to them.**


	2. Chapter 2

Day 2 - Candy canes

The lair was a marvellous sight to behold at Christmas, and it never ceased to amaze it's inhabitants, no matter how many times they had seen it. At times you wouldn't even believe it was down in the sewers. Not even April, who spent every Christmas she had in the luxurious parlour of distant relatives, surrounded by the enticing warmth of a fire and the mesmerising glow of expensive Christmas-themed ornaments, could tear her eyes away from the scene that sat before her. The atmosphere was thick with festive cheer.

That same festive cheer, however, could not quite be felt the same way within the quiet air of the dojo.

* * *

"...Candy canes, Sensei?"

The look that was plastered over Leo's face as he spoke could be described as nothing less than dubious. His brothers too, shared this same look, all with exception of Mikey who, as usual, seemed to be living through these events in a totally different world. His eyes were alive with the excitement that you would expect from a young child on Christmas morning as they ripped open their presents to claim the prizes inside, eager to play with their new toys.

"Candy canes." the old rat repeated plainly, ignoring the questioning looks he was receiving from his sons. Amazingly he had been able to keep a straight face through his speech so far, though only just. The transformations in their facial expressions as he detailed to them the daily training schedule were priceless, and it took all of his training and willpower to stop himself from losing his composure. He glanced down at the striped weapons they held loosely in their hands, "I trust you all understand?"

"Totally!" Mikey piped up almost instantly, waving his arms above his head in an excited fashion as if to attract the attention of his Sensei, the ridiculous display being rewarded with a smack across the back of the head from Raph.

"Like you understand _anything_ we say."

"Do to!"

The rat frowned and cleared his throat, loudly, to silence his sons. They obliged - eventually, Raph having took another swipe at his younger brother before finally settling down. Satisfied, he moved his attention over to his other sons, from whom he expected a sensible reaction from. Finally his eyes rested upon the eldest, - and in turn, most mature - who still wore an incredulous look on his features, "Leonardo?"

"Well..." the leader began, fidgeting with the back of his blue mask, "With all due respect, Sensei, we're ninjas. We can't exactly fight with giant pieces of _candy_."

The rat's expression remained unchanged, "Ninjas have always had to adapt, Leonardo. This is no different."

"Well sure." Leo replied, frowning as he picked up the object that sat before him, before looking at the rat once more,"But...candy canes?"

Raph chimed in, "Seriously! What kind of shell brain thinks about ninjas when they hear _candy canes_?" there was a brief pause, before he looked over at Mikey, intercepting his inevitable words, "Don't say _anything_."_  
_

"Awww!"

"Look, Sensei." Donnie sighed, impatience laced in his voice, "What we're _trying_ to say is that, well, candy canes aren't exactly...threatening enough. You can't seriously be expecting us to go marching into The Shredder's lair waving around sticks of candy!?" The rat was both amused and horrified at the mental image rolling through his mind, but he waved it away quickly.

Turning his attention quickly back to the matter at hand, he smiled slightly and continued his charade, "I don't see why not. It has been done before, after all."

Raph snorted, crossing his arms, "Yeah? By who?"

"Santa?" Mikey offered, earning him another slap on the head from Raph, followed by a heavy whack to the shell with a cane and a spiteful look from both Donnie and Leo, "What?! For all you know Santa could be training a secret army of NINJA ELVES!"

"Yeah, and Lamenardo's got a life, Donnie and April are getting married, and you've got a brain!"

"Hey!" both Donnie and Leo fumed in unison, drilling holes into their brother's head with their fiery gaze.

"Enough!" the rat's voice boomed throughout the room, silencing the four turtles instantly and freezing them in place as they sat, apprehensive of their Sensei's next move; which they had come to expect as some form of punishment. Rightfully so. After all, they had a knack for getting into trouble. He would be surprised if they thought otherwise.

"We will now begin training." he announced wearily after a few minutes, "...With the canes." he added, hiding one final mischievous grin as he destroyed the looks of relief that had momentarily sprung across his sons' features.

Such is Father's job, at Christmas.

* * *

**...Ugh. This one's dreadful. I acknowledge it. It would have been so much easier to draw ._.**

**I do not own the turtles or anything affiliated with them.**


	3. Chapter 3

Day 3 - Mistletoe

His heart fluttered, his head swam. Every muscle in his body was shaking with an uncontrollable anticipation that threatened to rip them off in a moment's notice. It was a feeling that seldom arose, a feeling that told him the time had finally arrived. With one final sweep, one final flick of his weapon, his master plan would be completed.

The plan to get April to hang out with him.

...Mistletoe Edition.

"What could possibly go wrong?" he frowned as the words spilled out, trying not to think of all the possible scenarios that could end in disaster, and that was a lot. Thankfully, he had them all written down on a large poster so he could avoid them. It was much like the one he had plastered all over the lair not months ago, except this one was much, _much _bigger. As were the stakes.

The plan, in short, was to get April under the mistletoe with him as subtly as possible. He had been plotting it for weeks on end now, ever since the first mention of Christmas hit his ears, and it certainly showed with the ridiculous amount of detail it contained. In his head it seemed so simple, and yet on paper it didn't look too entirely dissimilar to the inside of his head - a giant train wreck; the once gleaming white piece of paper was now covered entirely by an abundance of snaking colours, each leading to their own separate outcome. To say he had thought it through was an understatement. There was just one problem...

He had no mistletoe.

He hadn't forgotten about it, definitely not, he just hadn't had the time nor the means to pick any up, and with April herself being their sole link to the surface world, it made getting any even trickier. Now he was almost out of time, and he couldn't afford to leave his lab just yet. He still needed to memorise every strand he possibly could to maximise his chances of success. Just this once, he'd have to rely on his brothers. Without turning from his work, he called through to the lounge, "Leo, Raph!"

Several seconds passed, but apparently they hadn't heard him. Sighing, he moved to call again, louder this time, when a blur of orange poked its way into the room, a curious look etched on its face. "What's up?"

"Mikey," he began, still not turning from his desk. "Could you go get Leo and Raph for me? I need their help with something." there was no movement at the door. He sighed impatiently. "Mikey!"

"Sorry dude, Leo and Raph said they didn't want to be disturbed. And trust me," he paused briefly, his eyes growing wide as if he knew from experience. "You do _not _wanna disturb them,"

Their was a brief moment of silence, before a quiet groan sounded from the desk. "What could _they_ possibly be doing that's so important that they don't wanna be bugged?!"

"Well..." Mikey began. "Leo's glued to the bench, and I mean he _actually _glued himself to the bench. Apparently the _Space Heroes _Christmas Special's airing again. You know how he gets when that's involved. Like me and pizza."_  
_

He sighed, knowing all too well about the lengths his older brother would go through to watch his favourite show. There was one time, when he was much younger, where he had even tried to tape his _head_ to the screen, just to he couldn't be pulled away to do anything else. He sometimes wondered if Leo's obsession with the show had gone a bit too far. "And Raph?"

"Spike." Mikey said simply, shrugging. "He started early this year."

It took Donnie a few seconds to process this, before he finally understood what his little brother was talking about. How could he have forgotten? Raph had a kind of Christmas 'ritual', in which he locked himself away in his room all day, talking to his pet turtle. Occasionally he even sang, much to his and the others' glee. The best part was that the hot-headed turtle thought no one knew about it. Boy was he ever wrong.

Of course, with both of them occupied, there was only one person left who could help him.

"Sooo..." Mikey tempted as if reading his thoughts, inching ever so slightly closer to his brother as he spoke, an innocent grin creeping over his features. "Guess that means you need me, huh?"

Finally, he looked away from the poster and turned to his little brother, only to find him just inches away from him, his eyes glowing with eagerness and his mouth hanging agape like an excited puppy. He rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "I'm not so sure that's such a goo-"

"Awesome!" Mikey interrupted before anything else could be said. "What do I do?!"

* * *

Things were going to plan.

It had surprised him. His plans never seemed to go this smoothly, especially when they revolved around April. Usually he ended up humiliating himself within the first five seconds. Somehow he'd managed to go three hours without the slightest hitch. It was the Christmas miracle to top all others.

Of course, he still had one thing to be worried about. Mikey. After much prodding and pleading, the little dope had finally managed to wear his patience thin, and the only way he could get him to shut up was to let him help. _I just need you to bring down the mistletoe from above me when I give the signal, okay? _he had explained nothing more about the situation, he didn't need to. All Mikey needed to do was hold up a plant, and even he was confident that his little brother, despite his...flaws, could do something as simple as that.

Now, as he sat, almost huddled, next to April with no hide nor scale of him, he was starting to have doubts. He hadn't seen him since this morning, after he had gone prancing off in search of mistletoe, and knowing Mikey, an absence for any period of time usually meant something bad was going to happen.

Nonetheless, he had to remain confident that his little brother would pull through. The most likely scenario he could think of was that Mikey had been laying in wait somewhere for the past three hours, biding his time, until his assistance was finally needed. In truth it seemed like a bit of a stretch, considering he could barely hold still long enough to even watch TV, but still, he had to hope.

His heart fluttered, his head swam. Every muscle in his body was shaking with an uncontrollable anticipation that threatened to rip them off in a moment's notice. It was a feeling that seldom arose, a feeling that told him the time had finally arrived. The final part of his plan was being put into motion. All that was needed was the signal. He just had to guess Mikey's location, which logically would be right above them.

His guess was right.

No sooner than he had carried out the signal, with a subtle innocence to ensure April didnt suspect anything, there was movement from above just his head that he caught out of the corner of his waiting vision, so quick and sudden that it would have been impossible for the girl to have seen. And then like a thundering bullet, Mikey zoomed into position, bringing down with him the missile toe. Just as planned.

Wait. _Missile toe?!_

He could only watch in horror as a round, green foot connected with the side of his face.

* * *

**APRILLO DENIED.**

**...yeah.**

**I don't know how I come up with this junk.**

**Also this is now two days overdue ._. I apologise. This is why I shouldn't t****ry to write fanfiction when I'm ill.**

**I do not own the turtles or anything affiliated with them.**


	4. Chapter 4

Day 4 - Scarves

Raphael was a tough turtle. There was no denying it. Though he may have lacked his brothers' wits, patience or boundless levels of energy, he more than made up for that with his incredible strength.

So why did he feel so weak?

"-because a decrease in core body temperature can lead to-"

"-and this is why I told you to wear a-"

He groaned, loudly, pressing his hands tightly against his ears to block out the audacious babbling of his brothers. They had been going on about this for at least half and hour now, and quite frankly he was beginning to get fed up of it (in fact the only reason he believed he was still _alive_ right now was due to the absence of Mikey). They weren't even consoling him. If anything it was more like they were taking jabs at him for his actions, without a hint of worry in their voices. So much for brotherly love.

"-lucky the symptoms only pointed towards a mild case-"

"-so reckless, you just go running off-"

No good, he could still hear them.

With a disgruntled sigh, he shifted his body on his hammock ,so that it was turned away from the pair, and stared intently at the assortment of Christmas decorations that were on display in his room; ranging from the predictable lights and wreaths to the unorthodox candy cane and glittery pizza box - the latter of course being Mikey's handiwork. It was always such a funny time of year to him. It brought about so much happiness, so much love and so much joy; its beauty seemed to rub off on anything it came into contact with, and it could make the dullest of scenes look absolutely gorgeous with nothing but a speck of white snow. And yet, at the same time, it could be mercilessly cruel - an unwavering force of pure despair. It ravaged, it destroyed. It spared no one.

That hadn't frightened him.

"-could be suffering from pulmonary-"

"-right into the freezer. I mean what were you-"

_Patience, Raph. Deep breaths._

"-thankfully there are no signs of hypertensive crisis-"

"-need to follow my orders-"

_Like a river-_

"-could have been fatal-"

"-seriously need to learn about self control-"

_over-_

"-thankful we found you before-"

"-Mikey's smart enough to not-"

"_TEN TONNE SLABS OF BRICK THAT I SWEAR WON'T BE COMING OUT OF YOUR SHELLS ANY TIME SOON!_"

He winced instantly at the hoarseness of his voice as it reverberated around the room, the sound of which immediately clearing the bewildered looks that had momentarily formed off of his brothers' faces. Though he couldn't see them directly, he knew they were now smirking smugly, with a 'told you so' look shining in their eyes. Now they were going to move in for the kill.

"Should'a worn a scarf, right Raph?"

With a small sniffle, the hot-headed turtle closed his eyes and shut out the world around him, only one thought rolling through his head as a deep shiver of cold ran up the entire length of his body.

He definitely should have worn a scarf.

* * *

**And this is what you get when I write anything whilst ill - u****ninspired rubbish. (actually you get that from me all the time, but I digress.)**

**Anyway, this is a short one, evidently. I'm just not feeling up to slaving over something like this for hours on end like I usually do, and it doesn't help that I barely had anything prepared for it either.**

**The next two, at least, may be similar lengths, depending on how I'm feeling later on in the week. Just warning you now.**

******I do not own the turtles or anything affiliated with them.**


	5. Chapter 5

Day 5 - Christmas Tree

The streets of New York were uncannily silent. It was an odd feeling, especially to a native New Yorker who had spent their entire lives listening to the seemingly endless amount noise that littered the streets, and April was no different in this regard. No matter where she had hid in her room as a child, she could always hear the roaring monsters her father called 'cars' outside her house, waiting to get in, jagged teeth bared menacingly.

Now, there was nothi-

"MIKEY!"

...well, almost.

The streets were quiet, yes. However they were not empty. Had anyone endeavoured to look out into the darkness of the city, away from the the enticing warmth of their flickering fires and Christmas lights, then they may have seen three teenagers trudging down the road.

Of course, this was hardly something unorthodox for New York. Gangs of young delinquents often roamed around the back alleys of residential areas like a pride of lions, and they sure as hell liked to make themselves known. There was rarely a single night where a bloodcurdling scream of a young woman did not penetrate the cold night air, or a morning where such a young woman wasn't found lying against a hard brick wall with three quarters of skin on full display.

However, there was something different about this particular trio of teens. Something very different indeed. They were not carrying guns, bats or any other form of American weaponry.

What they were carrying, was a tree.

"-and then Raph went flying into the snow. BAM!" Mikey threw his arms up into the air, mimicking a large explosion. "We dug him out an hour later."

April bit back a giggle. She knew she shouldn't be laughing at this, especially since she'd heard about how serious it could have been. "Hypothermia." Donnie's voice drifted through her mind, reeling through a lot of biological specifics to do with the condition. She didn't need it. She knew enough about it already to understand what could have happened, and it wasn't anything pleasant.

All the same, she couldn't help herself. The image of the hot-headed turtle soaring spectacularly through the sky into a pile of snow was both something very amusing and something very awful, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that Raph would be laughing if she was in his situation now.

"And then Leo-"

"MIKEY!" Leo yelped as he came crashing to the ground under the weight of the tree he was carrying - again. "You're supposed to be helping me!"

"Why should I have to do it?" Mikey whined, pointing an accusing finger at the red-head next to him. "Why can't April do it!?"

"Because," Leo wheezed, lifting himself out from under the tree. "April's a girl, she shouldn't have to do this sort of work."

Mikey's features did a complete one-eighty. "You mean, she's a girl, so she _can't_ do this sort of-OWWW!" he was cut short by a painful jab as a fuming April elbowed him on the arm.

Leo rolled his eyes impatiently. "Just grab the tree already!"

The orange turtle groaned and walked over to where the fallen tree lay, kneeling down momentarily to prepare himself, before heaving the tree upwards with all of his strength, easily supporting its weight. Leo joined him soon after.

"Now," he said, looking straight ahead with a weary expression on his face. "Can we please get moving?"

* * *

The remainder of the walk was mostly quiet, much to Leo's delight. It had been a long night, filled with a countless number of problems that made his head spin when he thought about them, and he needed time to relax.

The plan, initially, was to stop by an old, disused tree yard, not too far away from April's aunt's house, and pick up a tree to take back to the lair. Simple, easy, and most importantly, lawful.

Mikey had other ideas.

On the way there, he had spotted an area full to the brim with trees of all different shapes and sizes, and before they knew what was happening, he was clambering over the fence, completely oblivious to the fact that it _had_ been fenced off at all, indicating it was a private area.

Of course, they had to follow him.

First they'd had to, illegally, sneak into the private sector of land, by climbing over the 10 foot tall gate of barbed wire (to April's great dismay). Then, they'd needed to find and cut down the smallest tree they could get with paper thin katana, and finally, they had to get the tree _over_ the barbed wire fence of the area, and drag it through the streets of New York, with Mikey cracking ridiculous jokes all the while.

Things had played out fine to begin with, until one of Mikey's particularly bad puns got him laughing so hard, that it had alerted the land owner of their presence. What had followed was a mad game of cat and mouse, wherein they were forced to run and duck behind the giant maze of trees whilst the angry owner rained hellfire down upon them with a shotgun. _Then_, once they had finally eluded the man, one of the katana snapped due to the pressure of being swiped at a thick trunk of wood for the twentieth time, and so they were forced to use April's nail file to cut through the tiny splinter of remaining wood that held the tree together, and then to top it all off, they had barrelled right into April's Headmaster as he was seemingly taking a short-cut through the same back-alley they were using, sending him head-first into a nearby dumpster and rendering him unconscious.

_We aren't ninjas, we're a bunch of elephants!_

"I still say we shouldn't have just left him there!" April protested all of a sudden with a questioning look aimed at him, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"He wouldn't have been out for long," he said, turning to to April. "He would've come to as soon as we tried to move him, and besides, what were you gonna tell him when he found you hanging out with a pair of giant walking talking turtles?"

She paused briefly. "...Good point."

"So remind me again..." Mikey intercepted, his shoulders beginning to sag under the weight of the tree after carrying it for so long. "Why do _we_ have to do this?"

"Because we're the only ones who can." he sighed. "Raph's practically on his death bed, Donnie can't walk five steps without colliding with a wall, and Splinter..." he shrugged.

April raised an eyebrow in worry at the mention of Donnie. "I thought Donnie had recovered from his concussion?"

"Oh he has." Leo looked at the girl with a soft tone, as if to dispel her worry. "He was straight back into his work the next day, unfortunately for him."

"Unfortunately?"

Mikey looked down at the ground sheepishly. "I kinda booby-trapped his door with a water balloon..." The girl frowned, clearly missing his point. "Turns out it was an _ice_ balloon."

April stared at him for the longest of times, mouth hanging agape in dumbstruck awe, before finally looking back at Leo. "Is he gonna be okay?"

Leo nodded. "We've been patching him up for a few hours now." The girl's muscles relaxed, and she let out of sigh of relief. Smiling, he added. "He and Raph have been treated with _lots_ of eggnog."

"Eggnog?" the girl's face instantly wrinkled in disgust at the mention of the word. "Why in the world would you give an injured person that stuff? Let alone a _sick_ person."

Leo shrugged. "Splinter reasons that giving it to them will help them recover more quickly, because they wouldn't want to be stuck drinking it for any length of time."

April was about to say more in response, when her eyes caught sight of Mikey, who was standing a few feet in behind of her, his eyes riveted on the manhole cover in front of them. Suddenly, he wheeled his head to look at the tree he was carrying, and then just as suddenly he was looking back at the manhole cover. It seemed like he was gauging the size difference between the tw-

_Oh_. She realised it a split second after he did.

"Uh guys..." he said in a tiny voice, turning his head to look at the two of them, his blue eyes wide.

"I think we're gonna need a bigger sewer."

* * *

**Wow. This only took me three hours to write, compared to the five hours it took me to write the last chapter ._.**

******I do not own the turtles or anything affiliated with them.**


	6. Chapter 6

Day 6 - Eggnog

When Donnie caught sight of the balloon toppling precariously from the top of his door, he only had a split second to react. Unfortunately for the genius turtle, who had only very recently recovered from a heavy concussion, that wasn't enough.

CRACK!

The sickening sound echoed throughout the rooms of the lair, only being dampened by the heavy thud of a rock hard shell connecting with the ground. Almost instantly, three figures dropped into the scene solemnly to see what had happened.

Donnie groaned in pain. His head felt like a train wreck, his vision was cloudy, and the world around him was spinning like a mad carousel. It almost looked like one too, assuming elegant horses could become rambunctious mutant turtles, that is. Even Raph, who was up until thirty seconds ago bed-ridden with a cold, was flailing about in what was either amusement or worry, although the former seemed more likely.

It took them a while to speak, but when they did he could barely make out the words. It felt like his ears had been stuffed with cotton wool. Regardless, he could tell that two of them were speaking in accusing tones; which could only mean one thing.

Mikey.

"So lemme get this straight," that was Leo. "Kicking him in the head wasn't enough, so you had to brain him with a ball of ice as well?"

"I'm telling you it was totally a water balloon!" Mikey shot back, his muffled voice seemingly rising in pitch the more he spoke. "And how was I supposed to know the water would freeze in the balloon?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about by using your brain?!"

"Dude," Mikey said, momentarily going melancholy, "it's harder than you think."

Raph was the next to speak, if only between deep sniffles and the odd cough. "Well look on the bright side, shellbrain. You probably managed to knock all that science junk out of Donnie's head this time. Now we can rest in..."

The rest of the conversation became an incoherent blur of nonsense as a deep blackness filled his fading vision.

* * *

His head hurt, a lot.

That was definitely an understatement for how Donnie was feeling, even though two days had passed since the incident. The ball of ice had struck him in the _exact_ spot that Mikey had kicked him. It felt like a dormant volcano had suddenly decided to erupt in his skull, spurting searing hot lava all over his brain; which right now, he wasn't sure /was/ his brain. He was seriously questioning if it hadn't spontaneously mutated into a Kraang by now. It sure has heck felt like it, with all the screaming he could hear coming from it.

Of course, that wasn't the worst of his problems.

Not by a long-shot.

For one, he couldn't walk. Every time he tried to move, the world around him would suddenly warp into some kind of horrid ball of goo, and within seconds he would find himself face first against the side of a wall. For another, he just could not _walk_. His legs felt like slabs of solid concrete that would not move, no matter how hard he tried. Of course, there were a few moments where the feeling in the limbs returned, however they were scarce, and before long his legs would solidify again, leaving him a statue once more. It was safe to say he was paralysed.

And finally, his brothers would _not_ shut up about it. They were fine the first day; they were all genuinely worried about his health, however that all changed the first time they saw him collide with a wall that, according to him, "moved from the other side of the room". From then on, every time they passed by him, they would crack some ridiculous joke about how he would be the next monument in the park, or how they would make him their new "scarerat" after their old one had been gnawed to dust. Or they would just burst out into a fit of laughter.

And then April happened.

She had wasted no time in dealing with his brothers. One moment she was trudging across the lounge, a triumphant look plastered on her face as Mikey and a dishevelled Leo followed behind, carrying the Christmas tree they had set out to get (though how they had gotten it into the sewers was beyond him), and the next she was dragging them all into the dojo with ruthless force by the tip of their shells. What followed was a gruelling session of pure torture as the girl chewed the ninjas out one by one, her anger carrying throughout the entirety of the lair.

It was a subtle change at first, which had surprised him, considering all the hell his brothers were being put through at the time. Even throughout April's tongue-lashing they continued to laugh about the whole ordeal, but within three hours they were singing a completely different tune, all of them looking considerably worse for wear when they emerged from the dojo with April taking up the rear, a stormy look on her face. His guardian angel.

However, what she could not protect him from, was Splinter.

She had tried to warn him, tried to stop him before it was too late, but he did not listen. At the time, he couldn't understand her reasoning. Splinter was, finally, bringing him his medicine, something he had been needing for a very long time now.

The old rat had silently floated into the room, a white mug grasped gently in his four-fingered hands. The purple turtle had shot up immediately at the sight of his Sensei, his eyes gleaming eagerly as if he were receiving an invitation to NASA. "What is it? Ibuprofen? Penicillin? Paracetamol?"

Splinter had simply smiled as his son's voice rose in pitch with each question. Thinking back, the smile did not look at all fatherly, nor did it look innocent. He should have realised something was up right then, but being in his delirious state of mind, that wasn't possible.

That rat stepped down into the pit, and set the mug on the ground, the smile still plastered on his face. "I believe it is something far greater than that, Donatello." he said, "However, I suggest you wait a few minutes before taking it." And then he was gone.

Donatello did not wait.

Like a child on Christmas morning, he had scooped up the mug of medicine before him, and downed it all in a oner, making sure to get every last drop of the creamy liquid before setting the mug down on his lap - completely content.

It was only later that night, when the contents of his stomach began to creep their way back up his throat, that he realised what had happened.

_Eggnog._

* * *

**So remember when I said I can't stick to deadlines? :3**

**Welp, here's chapter 6. I'm not too happy about this one, mainly because it's so freaking late, but also because it wasn't as easy to write as some of the others. We Brits don't have eggnog ._.**

******I do not own the turtles or anything affiliated with them.**


	7. Chapter 7

Day 7 - Family

Once, there lived a man named Hamato Yoshi.

He had a family; a loving wife and a beautiful young girl. He cherished them dearly, and they spent many happy years together under the enchanting views of Japan.

Of course, there was no happier time in their lives than Christmas.

Each and every year, when Yoshi returned home from a hard day's work, trudging through the crystalline snow under the watchful gaze of the blooming sakura, he would be greeted by the enticing warmth in his daughter's smile as she barrelled into his legs, squealing with joy at his arrival; and by the unmistakable sense of cheer and goodwill that was in the air.

Then, with a smile upon his face, he would take hold of his daughter's tiny hands and lead her in a little dance around the small Christmas tree in the corner of the room, watching in glee as her dark eyes grew wide with wonder at the sight of the brilliant and sparkling lights that coated the branches. He would tell her about the lights; about the star on the top of the tree; and about the angels that danced around it, and, though she did not understand it, her smile would widen even further.

And in the dim light of the flickering candles, which were always close to going out at this time, the fair figure of his beloved wife would slowly float towards them and take him up in a tight embrace, and before long they would be completely lost in the moment – a happy family.

And then the fire came.

The searing hot flames had licked and burned at the foundations of his home as Yoshi stared on helplessly, the pale, lifeless body of his wife cradled in his arms, his tears drenching her now smouldering clothes. He had been too late to save her. His daughter too, was lost. Though he had not seen her, though he could not make sure, it was almost definitely the truth. She was an angel now, dancing around the stars and lights that illuminated the flaming building that she once called home, much like the angel on the tree she had adored. To think a young child could survive the roaring flames and billowing black smoke of an inferno alone was folly, and false hope was certainly not something Yoshi wanted.

Through the fire and flames, Yoshi had lost everything: his home, his honour, his wife, and even his beloved daughter.

And in that moment, the man known as Hamato Yoshi – was dead.

* * *

Splinter didn't often cry. He had built a sort of immunity for it. Ever since the fight with the Shredder, his fears and worries had reformed themselves into a barrier that could dispel any thoughts about a bleak future that lay ahead, and thus, the nightmares had ended.

The same, however, could not be said about the past.

The room around him was quiet. The air was still. There was no fire, there was no smoke, there was no danger.

But there were tears.

They were running down his cheeks like a river down a mountain. His eyes were bleary and red, his throat was as dry as sandpaper, his black fur was soaked in freezing cold sweat, and there was an aching pain in his chest: the pain of loss.

The pain of love.

The nightmares had started once again, like they did every year around Christmas. The month that was supposed to be filled with joy and happiness instead plagued him with the haunting memories of his past, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not escape from them.

However, there was something that helped.

Through his hazy vision, Splinter could just barely make out the soft glow of candlelight emanating from the lounge, and from within his jumbled mess of thoughts and sorrow he could hear the sound of cheering and laughter: his children: his family.

They were his pillar of strength. In his great moments of despair, they were the only thing that kept him going. Even if they knew nothing of the pain that still clung to his heart, they were always the ones to subdue it.

And this time, he would not lose them.

* * *

**So evidently, I completely failed at doing this in twenty-five days. Nevertheless, I shall continue forth, and one day I WILL FINISH THIS.**

**I do not own the turtles or anything affiliated with them.**


	8. Chapter 8

Day 8 - Presents

A wisp of cold air curled upwards in a tendril of steam as April let out a deep breath, yanking her puffy yellow jacket closer to her body to stop herself from shivering any more. Her cheeks were red raw with the biting chill of the wind, and her hands, though gloved, felt numb enough to snap off at any moment. Had it been any other occasion, she wouldn't have stepped into this weather by any will of her own.

But this was for something special. Something she had to do. In the great many months she had spent with her four turtle friends, surrounded by their warmth and kindness, she had done nothing to repay them. If anything, she'd just made their lives that little bit more tedious: being kidnapped by mutant brains, making them put their lives in danger for her sake - like any ungrateful 'damsel in distress' you could think of.

Tonight, she was going to change that.

With a small shudder, she produced a small, slightly crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and quickly fumbled to read over it, running her chunky gloved finger along the messy scrawl of words as she went. The boys, for the most part, had been very vague in stating what they wanted for Christmas, only jotting down a few ideas each that, on the whole, she could tell they really did not want. From looking at the list, they were going for the cheapest things they could possibly think of; for Leo, a third-party Captain Ryan figurine that didn't even look like the character it was based off of; for Raph, a very early issue of _Corps Cadavres_ that she knew he already had; for Mikey, an assortment of basic cooking utensils that, judging by what he made, he was never going to need; and for Donnie, a simple, plain, run-of-the-mill screwdriver that would fit in nicely with his other sixty-odd screwdrivers of the same type.

Of course, given that they initially refused to let her get them anything, this was an improvement, however when she persuaded them to drop their original idea (she seemed to be pretty good at that) she was expecting them to ask for something a little more exciting than a screwdriver. Regardless, she hadn't started another argument about the subject. She knew from experience that if you won once against highly trained ninjas with teenage attitude, then chances were you weren't going to win again for a long time, and she wasn't going to push her luck.

Even so, she refused to spend an altogether grand total of ten dollars on their Christmas, let alone on things they didn't even want. They were important to her: as friends and family, and she needed to show that to them.

Thankfully, she knew exactly how.

Moving now, her legs having started up on auto-pilot as she finished reading, April stuffed the worthless sheet of paper into the closest trash can and made a beeline for the closest store that would still be open at this hour, which conveniently was the exact store she was looking for.

From the outside, it didn't look like anything special. Just another one of those stores that you just walked by everyday without giving it a second thought. The windows were covered in greasy, smudged handprints and the foundations of the building themselves were slightly cracked in places. The sign that hung above the door was also tipped over to one side, and the words that were printed on had long since faded away. Nothing too surprising for this end of the city.

However, from the inside it was a whole different story.

Whatever impression the outside appearance of the shop gave to a customer was instantly wiped away the moment they stepped through the door. Instead of a scabby, run-down old shack with squeaky floorboards and a leaking roof, they were greeted to a lush and luxurious looking emporium, filled to the brim with what seemed to be hundreds upon thousands of sparkling treasures. She could still remember the first time her dad had brought her here, all those years ago, and when she emerged from the shop, hugging her first ever chemistry set closely to her chest with broad grin on her face. And how proud her dad looked when she chose it over the other toys...

A cold gust of air blew by her, jolting her out of her thoughts. She realised she was still standing outside, gawking at the few things she could see on display at the window, completely alone in the eerie silence of the street. She didn't particularly think much of window shopping, especially when it was a freezing cold winter night; especially when it was an incredibly quiet freezing cold winter night with the constant threat of being mugged by a few purple dragons or alien brains hanging in the air.

Shivering, more from the thought of being jumped on rather than the cold, she stepped inside.

* * *

When the cold air met April's warm skin once again, her purse feeling considerably lighter than before and a hulking yellow plastic bag draped over her left shoulder, she couldn't help but groan slightly is dismay. The store had been like a sauna, and already she was missing the incredible warmth it had bathed her in for the last twenty minutes as she scoured around the many shelves in search of the perfect set of gifts.

Nevertheless, it had been worth it. The store was still as amazing as she remembered it being, and within thirty seconds of gazing around the place she had already found at least twenty items for each turtle. Of course, choosing between them had been very difficult, and not to mention time-consuming. There was just so much on offer, so much they would have wanted; so much they had no way of getting without her. The thought brought a sudden pang to her heart. It made her realise how lucky she had been, how she still was, to be able to walk into a public building without people screaming in terror at the sight of her.

And it made her realise she had done the right thing.

* * *

Donatello was not having a fun Christmas.

He had been kicked in the head and bludgeoned with a ball of ice. He had walked head-first into concrete wall, his lower body had been paralysed, and he had been poisoned with eggnog. And to top it all off, he hadn't even shared a kiss with April under the mistletoe, something he had been planning for weeks upon weeks. Meanwhile, his brothers had been thoroughly enjoying themselves in the festivities without a care in the world for him (festivities such as the 'make fun of Donnie' parade and whatever else they could think of), and Splinter wasn't being much help either. His only saving grace had been April, who genuinely seemed to be the only person in the entire world who actually cared about him when he had been injured in such ways; like when he had been beaten black and blue by a brainless mutant monkey that, compared to him, had no fighting skills whatsoever.

Tonight, however, he was going to stay safe.

The lair was buzzing with excitement, a feeling not usually mutual among the turtles when it came to this particular Christmas night, instead belonging solely to a an extremely hyper Michelangelo, who would bound off the walls as if they were made of rubber as he prepared to hand out his presents: and everyone knew Mikey's presents were _the best_.

Thankfully, it wasn't Mikey's turn to hand out early presents, as it seemed to be every year. This year, with some amount of persuasion on his part, they had managed to hand the spot over to the newest member of their family: April. Of course, had she not been as stubborn as she always was, then the exchange in roles wouldn't have even been possible. He knew instantly that she would argue with them when they turned down her offer. He could see the fire sparking in her eyes as soon as Leo turned her down, and the next thing he knew they were writing down a list of ideas for her. There was no doubt in his mind that April had disapproved of what they wrote.

That was confirmed when Leonardo fainted.

"Oh brother..." Raphael sighed, rolling his eyes like this was a common occurrence as the leader went crashing to the floor in a flash of green, the limited edition series one DVD of _Space Heroes_ clattering off of his hard chest as he landed.

"Good job, April," Mikey grinned proudly, as if he were handing the girl a gold medal. "You broke Leo!"

"Don't worry though, Donnie can fix him." Raph turned to him. "With that new super advanced drill he's been working on that can go through _anything_."

"I'm okay!" Leo offered weakly from the ground.

April, who had a stunned expression on her face at the suddenness of it all, cracked a wide smile. He had to say the look suited her. It was a genuine smile, something he had been seeing less and less of from the girl lately, not that he could blame her. It was Christmas, after all, and they still hadn't rescued her father.

"Raph, you're next!" she piqued, digging into a yellow bag that lay by her side and handing him the incredibly neatly wrapped present she produced from it. Donnie could instantly tell that April had done it again, a box that size was definitely not necessary for a comic book.

What it was the right size for, however, was an assortment of turtle necessities; ranging from from a variety of different foods to even a small aquatic tub fitted with a ramp, a plastic palm tree and what could almost be a deck chair. Perfect for Spike.

Raph's eyes were wide in shock as he unwrapped the items. Carefully, he lifted them out of their packaging and examined them, trying his best to hide the smile that was forming on his face. "April...I-"

"Oh, wait a minute. There's something else too." April fumbled around in the bag, her hands reaching down deep, before presenting a plastic card to him. When the hot-headed turtle looked at her questioningly, her smile simply grew wider. "It's a membership card for the vet. If anything happens to Spike, then you can just call me up and I can see that he's taken care of."

Raph took the card from April, and just stared at it in stunned silence, gripping it tightly as if it would grow legs and suddenly try to run away from him.

Donnie was silent too, however there was a completely different reasoning behind it. That present alone must have cost April a small fortune, and combined with everything else she had bought for them...he didn't want to know. Regardless, he decided to not bring it up. April had done all this for them, and she was happy. He didn't want to bring the mood down.

Finally, Raph cracked. The smile that broke out onto his lips was even larger than April's, and it almost seemed like he had shed a few tears. It even looked like he was going to take the girl up in a hug, but when he noticed his brothers staring at him expectantly, and Mikey mischievously, he just settled for: "Thanks."

"Enough of this boring stuff! Let's get to the exciting stuff already!" Mikey chided loudly, setting himself down in front of April with his arms outstretched. "What did you get me?"

April, still smiling, handed the overexcited turtle his present, and within five seconds the floor of the pit was a sea of green wrapping paper; Mikey having shredded it off the moment he got his hands on it, his blue eyes shining eagerly. Had Donnie blinked, he might have missed it, however he was too busy boring holes into the box. The size of it was just..._wrong_. Compared to the presents his brothers had received, with their packaging being evidently larger than what they were expecting, the size of this was exactly what he would have initially expected, and it only took Mikey one look at the label to come to the same conclusion.

"You can't be serious..." the excited look that had been on his face had vanished. His features were drooped, and his voice was sullen. "This is a joke...right?"

The girl just looked at him, her now omnipresent smile faltering just slightly. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

For a moment, Mikey said nothing. Shakily, he opened the box in his hands and peered inside at its sparkling metal contents. Then, he looked back at April, his mouth curved upwards in a desperate and forced smile. "Y-Yeah! It's just that it's so..."

April's smile was almost completely gone. "So...?"

"So..." the orange turtle faltered, getting his feet as if he were in some kind of trance of disbelief. He gazed at the box, Leo's DVD, Raph's presents, then at April, the box, and then back to April.

And then he snapped.

"SO LAME!" he cried, throwing the box of cutlery to the ground with his superhuman strength, sending the various forks and knives flying across the floor. His features were angry, angrier than Donnie had ever seen them. Then again, Mikey never really _got_ angry.

"I CAN'T _BELIEVE_ YOU, APRIL! YOU ARE THE WORST-" Mikey stopped short when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the comic book on the ground, lying hidden under the plastic mould the cutlery had been sitting in. Slowly, he bent over and picked it up, his eyes scanning over the shiny cover incredibly quickly as his face did a complete one-eighty.

In a streak a green and orange he was on April, hugging her so tightly that Donnie ended up cringing when he saw the look of pain on the girl's face. "YOU-ARE-_AWESOME_!"

"Merry...Christmas...Mikey!" she choked as all the air was crushed from her lungs.

It took both himself and Raph to wrench Mikey off of the girl, who spluttered something incoherent gratefully as they carried him away, eyes streaming from being held so tightly. Once things had settled down (and Mikey had stopped squealing and squirming), however, April was back in business. There was only one present left in the bag, and Donnie could feel a lump forming in his throat as she offered it to him, her smile now returning.

"Merry Christmas, Donnie."

Gently, with a smile of his own, he took the gift and held it in his hands, only now able to truly appreciate the care April had put into wrapping it. The folds on the paper were smooth, and the tape that had been used to hold it together looked crisp and clean. There were no rips, there were no marks. It was done perfectly.

And it definitely wasn't the right size for a screwdriver.

"Thanks." was all he managed, placing the present down at his side. He wasn't going to open it tonight. It was too special. He needed to wait.

For a moment, the girl frowned at him, but then she gave him an understanding nod. Donnie could have sworn he saw her blush slightly, but he thought nothing more of it, instead moving onto the question he had been waiting to ask all night; the question they most likely all had on their minds.

"So...what would you like for Christmas, April?"

At once, the girl's smile faltered completely, and Donnie could see a look flash over her cerulean eyes. A look of pain, a look of sorrow, a look that said: "My dad..."; the one thing that seemed impossible right now.

But the girl bit her tongue, and those words did not come out. Instead, she brought back a weak smile, and the words that did come out made Donnie's heart melt.

"Just...stay with me, guys."

Donnie could see the tears glistening in her eyes now, the tears he knew she didn't want to form. Without a word, without a thought, he moved over to her and wrapped his strong green arms around her, letting her rest her head against his chest. And soon more green arms joined his, taking hold of her, comforting her, protecting her. It was an action they'd taken up by instinct, one that did not need a signal. April was their sister, and they would always keep her safe.

"Merry Christmas, April."

* * *

**Bah. This one was so stupidly long and I don't even know why ._. Apparently I define 'short story' differently than most people.**

**Anyway yeah, here it is. I may have possible made a very very VERY loose reference to a certain fanfiction on here. It is very small, but see if you notice it.**

******I do not own the turtles or anything affiliated with them.**


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